The Buffalo Sabres today announced its official mobile application has been downloaded over 15,000 times since it became available yesterday morning. The app, which is available now for the iPhone and Android platforms, is currently the fourth-most popular application among free sports apps available through iTunes and the number two trending app on the Android Market.

“The immediate success of the Sabres app was a pleasant surprise,” said Brad Friedman, co-founder of B3Connect, the company responsible for developing the mobile app. “In terms of first-day downloads, it definitely surpasses any of the other apps we’ve developed and released for mobile devices so far.”

B3Connect is a California-based developer of mobile apps for NHL teams. It was founded by Friedman and former NHL goaltender Brian Hayward and has developed apps for several other teams including the Anaheim Ducks, Dallas Stars and the Boston Bruins.

“We knew the app would be a big hit with fans from the start,” said Sabres Vice President of Brand Strategy & Marketing Brent Rossi. “Our fans connect with the team in a multitude of ways – whether it’s attending the game in-person at the arena, watching on TV or surfing the web – so we knew how to get their attention and tell them about our awesome new app.”

The app features 10 separate sections, including live, in-game updates, real-time statistical information, a media section with team photos and videos, RSS feeds with the latest Sabres news, player bios and arena information while attending games at First Niagara Center.

“What really set the Sabres app apart from the other apps we’ve developed was the rabid fan support,” Friedman said. “The ways in which Sabres fans consume their team made the roll out of the app even easier and the download numbers reflect that.”

In addition to being the fourth-most popular free sports app on iTunes, the Sabres app accounted for over 32,000 page hits on the team’s website, Sabres.com.

“We made sure to promote the app everywhere possible,” Rossi said. “Social media was a big part of our plan throughout the day and that led up to the in-arena promotion during last night’s game against the Islanders as well as the incorporation into the TV broadcast on MSG.”

The official Buffalo Sabres app is available for the iPhone and Android platforms, through iTunes and the Android Market, and will be available for BlackBerry via the BlackBerry App World by this weekend.

“We know it will continue to be a very popular app,” Rossi added. “The app was designed with our fans in mind and we’re confident even more people will discover what an engaging and useful tool it is for getting more Sabres information.”